WessingtonSD
A town of 201, settled in 1882.
Is Wessington a good place to live?
No town among the 34 in South Dakota we compare has a lower rent at the middle of the market than Wessington. Wessington has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
201 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Wessington: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wessington, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Wessington.
Most of Wessington’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
1.2% of Wessington working residents work locally, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 8%. Among residents here, 21% live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Huron (27%), Sioux Falls (7%) and Wolsey (6%). Its typical journey to work is 14 minutes.
| Wessington | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 29% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
More children than South Dakota overall
Children under 18 are a third of residents (24% statewide); people 65 and older are 11% of residents (18% statewide). The median age for Wessington comes to 31.9 years. 23% of Wessington adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more, against 33% in South Dakota’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Population is up 2.6% locally since 2020, to 201 by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Wessington | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 31.9 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 33% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 53% and 74% women
The Census survey reached too few of Wessington’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±10.6 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Wessington | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.2% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 16.1% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.9% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.6% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.1% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.7% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.5% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 4.7% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.3% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.2% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.6% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 21.6% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.1% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.4% | 10% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 200, single groups can be off by several points
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Wessington’s year
In July, afternoons reach 86°; in January, nights fall to 6°, and about 44 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Wessington is
In Wessington, 16% of adults smoke cigarettes, and 36% have high blood pressure. For adults here, the share who sleep under 7 hours is 29%.
| Wessington | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 19% | 16% |
| What stands out | Wessington | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The biggest natural risk in Wessington is inland flooding, at a moderate overall level
The FEMA hazard score in Wessington is 41 of 100. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2011. FEMA puts 35% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 22% to cold waves.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Wessington
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Wessington; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Wessington residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Dakota.
99% of working residents leave Wessington for work
Where Wessington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Wessington
City in South Dakota, United States
Wessington is a city on the border between Beadle and Hand counties in South Dakota, United States. The population was 197 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,417 ft
- ZIP code
- 57381
- Area code
- 605
Questions about Wessington
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Wessington, SD a good place to live?
Wessington has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.